untitled design

France: Macron pledges to double vaccines donated to poor countries

Twice as many coronavirus vaccines are expected to be donated by France in poor countries.

According to Emanuel Macron, 120 million doses of vaccine will be available.

“The injustice is that on other continents, vaccination is obviously long overdue.”, found. “In Africa, less than 3% of the population has been vaccinated – we need to move faster, stronger”, added the head of state of France in a video that was shown during a concert in Paris organized by the aid organization Global Citizen.

“France is committed to doubling the number of installments it donates. We will increase from 60 million to 120 million installments. That is, more doses than have been granted to date in our country. “, clarified Mr. Macron.

The United States on Wednesday announced its intention to double the COVID-19 vaccines it will donate, raising the total doses it promises to poor countries to 1.1 billion, as President Joe Biden does not hide his intention. to take the lead in tackling the pandemic.

“We need other high-income countries to live up to their ambitious donation promises”, instructed the resident of the White House.

The European Union, with which the United States intends to work closely, will distribute more than 500 million doses.

Chinese President Xi Jinping, in his recorded speech to the UN on Tuesday at the 76th General Assembly, said that “ensuring a fair and equitable distribution of vaccines around the world is a pressing priority.”

China “will distribute a total of two billion doses of vaccine to the world by the end of the year,” he said, reiterating the number already released by the Chinese authorities, but did not specify how many of these doses would be sold or how many would be donated.

According to a report by the World Health Organization (WHO) published a few days ago, Africa lacks nearly 500 million doses to meet global target of vaccinating 40% of population by year’s end. Faced with a large lack of doses, COVAX to distribute 150 million less in Africa than expected. Consequently, the 470 million doses of vaccine that will be distributed in total on the continent will not allow to be immunized despite 17% of the population.

Emanuel Macron also promised “tangible commitments” to help UNICEF launch vaccination campaigns in Africa.

The French president also promised to redirect 20% of France’s special drawing rights (SDRs) to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to revive African economies. According to Mr Macron, “If all the great powers followed the example of France, we would reach 100 billion for Africa”.

He even promised that Paris will support “over 333 million euros” in education programs in Africa.

You may also like

Get the latest

Stay Informed: Get the Latest Updates and Insights

 

Most popular